Norwalk’s Saint Ann’s Club Hosts Annual Feast

NORWALK, Conn. — Under fluttering banners of green, white, and red, members of Norwalk’s Saint Ann Club carefully placed a statue of St. Ann on a truck Saturday morning in preparation for a procession steeped in a century-plus Italian tradition.

St. Ann is the patron saint of Jelsi, a village located in the province of Campobasso in the Molise region of Italy. After a devastating earthquake in 1805, residents of Jelsi began honoring St. Anna with an annual feast as a gesture of thanks for saving the village. The tradition continued after Molisani emigrants arrived in Connecticut cities like Norwalk. 

“[In] 1914, a group of immigrants came over from Jelsi, Italy, and they decided to start an association to help Italian immigrants coming here,” said Joanne Salvioli, a life member of the club and granddaughter of one of the founders. “They began celebrating the feast here in 1915, and it grew and grew.”

St. Ann’s Feast is held on July 26 every year in remembrance of the earthquake and begins with Mass on the day of before the procession makes its way back to the club at 16 Hendricks Avenue, where the festivities continue with food, live entertainment, and dancing. 

As part of the growth, St. Ann’s Feast is now a four-day festival, where the club raises funds “to help give donations throughout the community throughout the year,” said Jenifer Veno, a board member of Saint Ann’s Club and the wife of Mike Veno, the current President. 

St. Ann’s Feast is now celebrated worldwide in countries like Argentina, Australia, and Germany.